The Emergency Department (ED) at Northwestern is a state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the needs of a high-volume, urban, patient population. The ED serves an average of 71,000 patients per year, from throughout the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and the world due to O’Hare International Airport; one of the busiest in the nation. The ED offers some of the most advanced technologic and therapeutic modalities available in emergency medicine, including bedside ultrasound, immediate chest pain management, 5-level triage, and the PACS radiology system. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the ED is now equipped with portable biological and chemical decontamination showers and treatment areas. The ED is also home to a state-of-the-art patient-tracking system developed by our own informatics section chief. Among the many features this system has are its early warning surveillance capabilities to alert staff in the event of a cluster of like patients presenting to the ED (similar symptoms, geographic location) that could be due to a possible biological or chemical exposure. The ED offers a full spectrum of emergency and trauma care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to patients of all ages. Board-certified emergency medicine specialists serve as attending physicians around the clock in the ED. In addition, the ED care teams have access to subspecialists at all hours of the day and night. Emergency services include trauma care; fast track; observation medicine; and patient and family services. The 30-bed ED contains an 8-bed Fast Track Care Unit, and two Level-1 resuscitation bays. A new 23-bed Observation Unit; designed and operated by emergency physicians, residents and two nurse practitioners. The unit support patients who require a 23-hour or less stay to determine appropriate disposition, or who would benefit from a short period of intensive therapy to allow for discharge. The observation facility, located on the second floor of the ED, has also been configured to provide primary emergency care during periods of peak demand. |
